We Promised You a Great Main Event

We Promised You a Great Main Event PDF Author: Bill Hanstock
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062980858
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 493

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Book Description
“A fascinating dive into the physical art of modern-day wrestling entertainment and the unbelievable characters who make it work in the ring and the back.” —Chris Kluwe In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars. WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena. We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.

We Promised You a Great Main Event

We Promised You a Great Main Event PDF Author: Bill Hanstock
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062980858
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 493

Get Book Here

Book Description
“A fascinating dive into the physical art of modern-day wrestling entertainment and the unbelievable characters who make it work in the ring and the back.” —Chris Kluwe In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars. WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena. We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.

Pro Wrestling FAQ

Pro Wrestling FAQ PDF Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Backbeat Books
ISBN: 9781617135996
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
PRO WRESTLING FAQ: ALL THAT'S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD'S MOST ENTERTAINING SPECTACL

The First 25 Years

The First 25 Years PDF Author: Jake Black
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780241319987
Category : WWE raw (Television program)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This action-packed anniversary edition covers 25 years of WWE's flagship entertainment event - RAW. Amazing photography and fascinating text document all the highlights of the show. Relive the show-stopping moment when WWE RAW invades WCW's Monday Nitro. Experience Stone Cold Steve Austin's incredible beer truck stunt. Read about the celebrated formations and reunions of D-Generation X; Chris Jericho's shocking debut; and the emotional retirements of stars such as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Edge. From the very first show in January 1993 through to January 2018, all the memorable moments, key matches, and shocking plot twists of RAW are faithfully recorded in WWE RAW The First 25 Years. Engaging text and incredible photography from WWE's archives including action shots, Superstar portraits, posters, and other memorabilia take the reader on a trip through RAW's history. This comprehensive guide is a must-buy for RAW fans old and new. TM & © 2017 WWE. All Rights Reserved.

Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken!

Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken! PDF Author: Bill Apter
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1770907521
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
The anticipated memoir from a sports entertainment fandom legend As a kid growing up in New York in the late '50s, Bill Apter fell in love with professional wrestling, and it wasn't long before he was rubbing shoulders with the greats as a young reporter and photographer. He's since become the world's best-known wrestling magazine personality, and he's had professional and personal relationships with a who's-who of the business, like Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Sting, and Ric Flair. In his fun-loving memoir, Bill Apter takes us from the dressing rooms of the Bruno Sammartino era and the last days of the territories, to the birth of WrestleMania, the emergence of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the "Attitude Era," to today's WWE Superstars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns. He also shares stories of his days photographing boxing stars like Muhammad Ali and other champions, and he documents his appearances on the WWE Network and his work as editor of 1wrestling.com. Find out which wrestler threatened him, learn about the dead wrestler who was really alive, and discover how hanging out with Andy Kaufman led to the comic's notorious feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler. Still intimately involved in the wrestling business, the award-winning Apter has a story on everybody.

The Rise & Fall of ECW

The Rise & Fall of ECW PDF Author: Thom Loverro
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416561560
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Independent wrestling promotions were once the norm all across the country. However, with the rise of World Wrestling Entertainment and the creation of World Championship Wrestling -- out of three Southern promotions -- the possibility of an independent succeeding grew fainter and fainter. As the nineties began, independents were looking for creative ways to survive. In the East, several banded together to share cost and talent; they were known as Eastern Championship Wrestling. Based out of a warehouse in Philadelphia that stored parade floats and hosted bingo, this promotion seemed doomed to be just one more ninety-day wonder. When they hired a brash New Yorker, Paul Heyman, he warned Eastern Championship Wrestling that the job was just temporary. He would come in, shake up a lot of the wrestlers, and then leave. But what Heyman did redefined professional wrestling in the nineties. What he created was a company that dared to push the boundaries of sports entertainment. What he created became Extreme Championship Wrestling. As the person responsible for booking -- who was going to wrestle and who was going to win -- Heyman dared to break with tradition. Rather than relying on local talent and down-and-out veterans to draw in crowds, he created new characters and story lines that would appeal to the core wrestling fans: eighteen- to twenty-four- year-old men. Paul also realized that to persuade them to come, you had to get their interest and keep it. You had to offer the fans more than just the match. ECW became known for the interview, the shoot. Heyman got to know each wrestler's style, and in their interviews he would encourage them to speak from their hearts. When it came to the matches, ECW broke even farther from the mainstream. Tables, ladders, chairs, barbed wire, and even frying pans were used with abandon. Wrestlers not wanting to be topped put their bodies on the line, taking ever greater risks, daring to jump, leap, and fall from places never tried before. ECW matches became the stuff of legend. Word spread as savvy wrestling fans began talking about the promotion and exchanging tapes. To keep the buzz building, wrestlers used the age-old trick of taunting the fans, and ECW fans responded in kind. By including the fans in the shows, ECW attracted a rabid, cult-like following that is still going strong today. For nearly a decade, ECW redefined professional wrestling with a reckless, brutal, death-defying, and often bloody style that became synonymous with "hardcore." Through extensive interviews with former ECW talent and management -- Paul Heyman, Mick Foley, Tazz, Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, and many more -- The Rise & Fall of ECW reveals what made this upstart company from Philadelphia great -- and what ultimately led to its demise.

Wrestlecrap

Wrestlecrap PDF Author: Randy Baer
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1554905443
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Professional Wrestling examines some of the ridiculously horrible characters and storylines that pro wrestling promoters have subjected their fans to over the past twenty years. Why would any sane person think that having two grown men fight over a turkey was actually a reasonable idea' Was George Ringo, the Wrestling Beatle, really the best gimmick that a major promotional organization could come up with' And who would charge fans to watch a wrestler named the Gobbeldy Gooker emerge from an egg' In an attempt to answer such questions and figure out just what the promoters were thinking, authors Randy Baer and R.D. Reynolds go beyond what wrestling fans saw on the screen and delve into the mindset of those in the production booth. In some instances, the motivations driving the spectacle prove even more laughable than what was actually seen in the ring. Covering such entertainment catastrophes as an evil one-eyed midget and a wrestler from the mystical land of Oz, not to mention the utterly comprehensible Turkey-on-a-Pole match (a gimmick which AWA fans might recall), WrestleCrap is hysterically merciless in its evaluation of such organizations as the WCW and the WWF. This retrospective look at the wrestling world's misguided attempts to attract viewers will leave wrestling fans and critics alike in stitches.

Ringmaster

Ringmaster PDF Author: Abraham Josephine Riesman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982169451
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
This definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, is “riveting, essential reading” (Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author) as it charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires. Featuring exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent. Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world. In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit. Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force and has helped foment “the worst of contemporary politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Ringmaster built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. “Smart, entertaining, impressively reported, and beautifully written. Wrestling fans will devour it, but everyone who wants to better understand this crazy country and one of its truly original characters ought to read it” (Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life).

Global Sport Marketing

Global Sport Marketing PDF Author: Michel Desbordes
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136456201
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Globalization has had a profound impact on the sports industry, creating an international market in which sports teams, leagues and players have become internationally recognized brands. This important new study of contemporary sports marketing examines the opportunities and threats posed by a global sports market, outlining the tools and strategies that marketers and managers can use to take advantage of those opportunities. The book surveys current trends, issues and best practice in international sport marketing, providing a useful blend of contemporary theory and case studies from the Americas, Europe and Asia. It assesses the impact of globalization on teams, leagues, players, sponsors and equipment manufacturers, and highlights the central significance of culture on the development of effective marketing strategy. Global Sport Marketing is key reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner working in sport marketing or sport business.

Death of WCW, The

Death of WCW, The PDF Author: R.D. Reynolds
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1770906428
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
As history repeats itself, a wrestling classic becomes even more relevant. In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. It seemed the company could do no wrong. But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company - having lost a whopping 95% of its audience - was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest. What went wrong? This expanded and updated version of the bestselling Death of WCW takes readers through a detailed dissection of WCW's downfall, including even more commentary from the men who were there and serves as an object lesson - and dire warning - as WWE and TNA hurtle toward the 15th anniversary of WCW's demise.

Hell Is a World Without You

Hell Is a World Without You PDF Author: Jason Kirk
Publisher: Shutdown Fullbooks
ISBN: 1735492620
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
Rarely has an Evangelical upbringing been depicted with the relentless honesty, wide-ranging empathy, and Superbad-meets-Siddhartha playfulness of HELL IS A WORLD WITHOUT YOU. During the time of Pizza Hut buffets, 9/11, and all-night Mario Kart parties, a grieving teenager faces a mortal crossroads: fire-and-brimstone certainty vs. forbidden love. And whether or not you've ever begged God to delay the Rapture (so you could have time to lose your virginity), that kid's story is about you. "Best-seller"— USA Today, IndieReader, and Bookshop “Meticulous. Sublime. Hilarious. Endearing. Get it.” — Kirkus Reviews “Brutal honesty. Laugh-out-loud. Poignant.” — Publishers Weekly “Joyous. Taboo-shirking. Searing honesty. Wonderful novel.”— Independent Book Review, Starred “A miracle. Makes an insular culture universal.” — Book and Film Globe “Painfully, beautifully true.” — Columbia Daily Tribune “Compassionate. Bitingly funny.” — Readers’ Favorite, five-star review “Holy fucking shit.” — Top-rated Goodreads review “Ripped me apart and put me back together.”— Literary Transgressions, Year in Reading awards “Thank you to Jason Kirk.” — The Trevor Project, after this novel’s launch raised over $50,000 in donations for the LGBTQ charity “Divinely savage, emotionally pure, devilishly funny.”— Brian Dannelly, Saved! “Hilarious and big-hearted.” — Brian Phillips, Impossible Owls “No book has better depicted Evangelical terror.”— Jane Coaston, CNN “A magic trick, almost tactile in its specificity, yet universal.”— Claire McNear, Answers in the Form of Questions “Whoever you are, you’ll find yourself in it.”— Will Leitch, How Lucky “Almost astonishingly accurate.”— Jon Bois, 17776 “Genuinely funny. Painfully accurate.”— Drew Magary, The Night the Lights Went Out “I loved this book.”— Anthony Oliveira, Dayspring “Like reading my own teenage Evangelical diary.”— April Ajoy, Evangelicalish “Hilarious yet biting.”— Zito Madu, The Minotaur at Calle Lanza “Uncanny. I got severely weepy.”— Jeb Lund, national columnist “Will make you laugh, cry, and think.”— Dr. Mike Altman, Religious Studies, University of Alabama “Absolutely slaps, whether you were Evangelical or not.”— Dr. Jonathan Beecher Field, English, University of Clemson “Devastatingly funny.”— Victoria Zeller, One of the Boys “Will leave you laughing, crying, and feeling less alone.”— Mason Mennenga, A People’s Theology “So quick and funny and smart.”— Tommy Tomlinson, The Elephant in the Room “Deeply funny. Deeply felt.”— Tyler Parker, A Little Blood and Dancing “Too real. Cathartic.”— Blake Chastain, Exvangelical and Beyond “So evocative.”— Bonnie Kristian, Christianity Today “Not just for ex-youth group kids. A gift.”— Tyler Huckabee, Sojourners “Hilarious, harrowing, and romantic.”— Pete Volk, Polygon “What being raised Evangelical is like.”— Dr. Jonathan Redding, One Nation Under Graham “Funny, infuriating, and tender.”— Jay Busbee, Earnhardt Nation “Comedy with real heart.”— Jennifer C. Martin, Dirtbag Christian “I moved between laughing and crying so many times.”— Zach W. Lambert, Better Ways to Read the Bible “Surprisingly relatable. Read it.”— Trey Ferguson, Theologizin’ Bigger “I’m thankful this book exists!”— Casey Haas, Fun Sexy Bible Time “So good.”— Tony Ginocchio, Grift of the Holy Spirit “Hits close to home.”— Kevin Nye, Grace Can Lead Us Home “You will relate.” “This is for you.”— Emily Rojas and Abigail Hewing, Readirect “Immersive introduction into Evangelical world.”— Dr. Erich Nunn, English, Auburn University “Humanizes church kids.” — Scott Hines, Action Cookbook “Helped me understand myself.” — Dr. Neil Shanks, Baylor University “I love it.” “So fucking powerful.”— Andrew Klema and Dani Burford, Lit Lit “Painful, thoughtful, and has a ton of soul.”— Mike Golic, Jr., broadcaster “For anyone.”— Ryan Nanni, We’re Not So Different “Extraordinary.” “Jason writes his ass off.” — Holly Anderson and Spencer Hall, Channel Six